Republican seeks 'forgiveness' after video shows him kissing aide

Rep. Vance McAllister, R-La., won a special election to Congress in November 2013. (Emerald McIntyre, The News Star via AP)

A congressman with close ties to the Robertson family of Duck Dynasty fame is asking for “forgiveness” after a video surfaced Monday purportedly showing him kissing a female aide.

Rep. Vance McAllister, R-La., issued a statement after The Ouchita Citizen posted a video of McAllister apparently “passionately embracing and kissing one of his congressional aides” two days before Christmas. The video was leaked to the news organization from an anonymous source.

“There’s no doubt I’ve fallen short and I’m asking for forgiveness,” McAllister, who is married with five children, said in his statement quoted by The News Star in Monroe, La. “I’m asking for forgiveness from God, my wife, my kids, my staff and my constituents who elected me.”

The News Star reports the staffer was taken off the congressman’s payroll in the last 24 hours, according to McAllister chief of staff Adam Perry. The video apparently was taken by a surveillance camera at McAllister’s Monroe office.

McAllister was the surprise winner of a special election in November over a Republican who had institutional support from national and local GOP figures. He gained some notoriety in January when he invited Willie Robertson, CEO of the Duck Commander empire from the popular reality TV show, to be his guest for President Obama’s State of the Union Address. Robertson had cut an ad for McAllister during the campaign.

In his campaign, McAllister touted his Christian faith.

McAllister vowed in his statement to earn back the trust of his family and his constituents in Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District. “From Day One, I’ve always tried to be an honest man,” he said. “I ran for Congress to make a difference and not to just be another politician. I don’t want to make a political statement on this, I would just simply like to say that I’m sorry for what I’ve done.”